Natural Bridges State Beach

Natural Bridges State Beach is a coastal reserve on the northern edge of Santa Cruz in California, where a single sandstone bridge still extends into the water. The beach runs along a rocky cove with tide pools behind it, a visitor center, and a eucalyptus grove covering roughly 65 acres (26 hectares).

The area became a state park in 1933 after the outer of three original bridges fell during a storm in 1906. The middle formation held until 1980, when it also collapsed and left just one bridge standing.

The beach takes its name from the stone arches that once crossed the water, and today visitors walk the shore to see the remaining formation where it meets the surf. During winter months, the eucalyptus grove draws people who come to watch the orange and black winged insects resting quietly in the trees.

The tide pools are easiest to reach at low tide, when the water pulls back and leaves shallow pockets between the rocks. The butterfly area stays open daily and allows visitors to walk along paths through the grove without disturbing the resting insects.

The monarch butterflies travel up to 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) each year from across North America to reach this grove, using the same eucalyptus trees their ancestors visited before them. Each butterfly lives only a few months, but the population returns to the same spot year after year across generations.